Back To Reality
by pompeypearly
Summary: AU. Sequel to 'Numb'. Chloe has to return home and carry on with her life.


**Pairing**: Chloe/Dean, Chloe/Oliver implied

**Rating**: NC-17 - just for brief descriptions of sexual situations. Some mild profanities.

**Spoilers:** Some season 8 & 9 Smallville. Possible Season 5 for Supernatural.

**Author Note: **This story will probably evolve over a series of one shots. I have no Betas so all mistakes are entirely my own. All comments and reviews are appreciated - they are like crack to me!

* * *

Chloe had tried several times to call Dean that day, only to get his voicemail every time. In the end she had decided to try calling again once she got back to the Watchtower, she didn't want to appear as the desperate one-night stand but she just knew that this journal was important.

She wasn't looking forward to going home but what other choice did she have? At least this journal of Dean's would act as an interesting distraction. She decided that heading straight to the tower instead of the Talon was the lesser of two evils. If she had to see Oliver at some point that day she wanted it to be in an area of business, she would feel too venerable in her own home.

As she entered the watchtower she shrugged off her jacket and took her normal seat behind her workstation. She dug her phone from her bag and the worn leather journal. She turned on her phone and booted up her systems. There were a couple of photos in the journal and she had decided on the drive back home that she was going to make good use of her facial recognition software.

Her phone began to beep continuously. Ten messages and five voicemails. She could bet good money on who they were from, but there was always that chance that they could be from Lois requiring bail.

All of the text messages were listed as from Oliver. They were deleted without even being opened. She started listening to the voicemails.

"_Chloe, it's me. I need-"_ She cut the message off and deleted it.

"_Chloe, I really want to expl-"_ Message deleted.

"_Please, I need to tal-"_ Message deleted.

"_It was a mist-"_ Message deleted.

"_I'm worried. Where are-"_ Message deleted.

"I bet you weren't worried enough to call Clark to find me were you? Coward." She said slamming her phone on the table.

Picking out the photographs she had found in Dean's journal she scanned them into her computer and began running the facial recognition software Victor installed for her a few months ago. As the computer did it's work she picked up her abused phone and dialled Dean's number again.

Voicemail. Again. Chloe had dreaded this, she knew she had to leave a message.

"Hello Dean, this is Chloe Sullivan. We, uh, met last night. Just wanted to let you know that you left a journal in my room. I still have it and I know you're probably looking for it. If you call me on 555- 0132 then you can tell me where to send it. Thanks." She really hated leaving messages, and leaving this one felt even more awkward than usual.

Feeling better that it was up to Dean now if he wanted the journal back she turned back to her monitors. It appeared the program had had success with a picture of a man with two young boys.

"John Winchester." She read aloud. Typing furiously she brought up all files associated with the face before her. "Born 1954. Ex-marine…married Mary Campbell…two sons. Dean and Sam."

She knew she was on the right track. Cross referencing her findings and activating new searches, the information started coming in thick and fast. Sometimes she thanked her lucky stars she had the resources she did. What would normally take weeks of hard work and bribery took a matter of minutes thanks to this state-of-the-art technology. This was the reason Victor always had an extra special Christmas gift from her.

It was the hits with the FBI and police that really peaked Chloe's interest. There were criminal records for all three Winchester men, and on paper they looked as if they were people you should be running away from, not hooking up with one of them in a cheap motel. She hit print. After looking through the journal she knew there could be more to these records than meets the eye. She started with John Winchester. There were some arrests that coincided with some journal entries she had read early on.

She had been so engrossed in her reading that she actually jumped when she heard the doors opened. Her shoulders slumped. Chloe really did not want to be in the presence of Oliver Queen at the moment.

"Chloe! Thank God you're alright! I've been trying to reach you all night. Where did you go?"

"I'm sorry Mr Queen, I was out of the area for the evening. What do you need assistance with this morning?" She successfully avoided eye contact by collecting the remaining printouts from the printer.

"Mr Queen?" He raised his eyebrows before shaking off her impersonal greeting. "Chloe, I wanted to apologise. Dinah…it was a lack of judgement, this thing-"

"If you are not here on league business then I suggest you leave." Chloe started putting her printouts into files. She could feel her hands shaking, and she was biting on her tongue to prevent the tears from forming.

"Chloe, I need to explain. We have to talk this through. I don't want us to be over."

Chloe could have laughed if she hadn't been so close to tears. Part of her wanted to tell him it was more than over, especially since she had orgasmed last night around the skilled mouth and fingers of a known felon.

"I only wish to speak to you on a professional level Mr Queen. Having personal conversations in the middle of my workplace is unprofessional and inappropriate. If you need to speak to me about the team then by all means stay. If you are here for only personal reasons then I suggest you leave the room and go to hell."

She felt proud that she could say it with her head held high. She thought she would falter looking into his big brown eyes but she had kept herself strong. All of those years having her feelings kicked around and then buried deep within her had given her the skills and strength to put on the act. But she needed him to go, and soon. It was too much to do this now.

"I'm not going anywhere, Chloe." He said taking a step towards her "We need to talk about this. I love you too much to let this go."

Chloe did bark out a small laugh this time, she couldn't help it even as the tears began to pool in her eyes. "No. You don't love me Oliver. What you are is selfish. I knew something like this would happen eventually, I was never going to be enough and you just can't help yourself. It was one of the many reasons I wanted to avoid a relationship with you. I knew you would hurt me, but the worst thing is you didn't even have the decency to break things off before you started fucking Dinah."

She had to get some personal space. He was too close and she felt as if she was suffocating. She walked over to the coffee machine and started it. She had never need caffeine so badly.

"I haven't had sex with Dinah."

Chloe felt her heart lighten at his words. She shook her head to rid herself of that glimmer of hope. It didn't matter if they had yet or not. "I'm pretty sure things were heading that way when I walked in." She turned to face him. "Unless her breasts held the answers to the latest global crisis?" She asked with mock interest.

He walked towards her and wrapped his hands around her upper arms, forcing her to look into his eyes. "It wasn't like that. You mean the world to me Chloe. I can't lose you."

"You already have. You've lost my trust, you're barely hanging onto my friendship, and if you carry on pushing me you will lose me as a colleague too."

"You would give up being Watchtower? Just like that?"

She didn't want to lose Watchtower. Her work was her life - she felt as if she was helping to make a difference in the world. But she would have to give it up if she was faced with reminders of Oliver and Dinah together everyday. "I can't work like this. If you push me I'll have no choice."

"Will we be able to talk at some point about this?" He asked softly. He actually looked upset, but Chloe knew she couldn't allow herself to feel sorry for him. He had done this, not her. He was her best friend, her lover. And he had betrayed that.

"Maybe." She stepped away from him and he let her go.

"Okay. If this is what you need. But for what it's worth I am sorry."

She made her coffee, purposefully not making Oliver one as she normally would. The task of pouring the sugar helped to fill the lingering silence between the two. Chloe could tell he wanted to say something more. Part of her wished she could just allow herself to be swept up in his arms and let everything be forgotten. But the other part remembered how he had moaned with pleasure as Dinah's hand had slipped into his leather trousers.

"Will you still be online while I patrol tonight?" He asked.

"Of course." All of her focus was on stirring the cream into the mug.

"I'll speak to you then." He went to walk away but hesitated slightly. He turned and placed a small kiss on the top of her head before walking out of the room.

Chloe managed to hold on until he was out of the room before she broke down and cried.

It took her ten minutes to collect herself. She still loved Oliver but hated him all the same. "Focus Chloe. Focus on something else." She muttered to herself. She picked up her now lukewarm coffee and made her way back over to her workstation.

Looking over the journal entries she could see that John Winchester's arrests really did coincide, the dates matched perfectly. Her searches of local newspapers even supported some of the details in John's entries. There was truth in it after all, John Winchester hunted the supernatural.

She wasn't surprised. Hell, she'd been possessed by her fair share of spirits herself. It was just a little startling to think that it was present in the world to such a level that there were ordinary people out there putting their lives on the line to keep the world safe. There was something worrying about how the world could be so ignorant, but she had seen it first hand in Smallville. Ignorance was safe, it was easy to deny what was right in front of your face.

She began scanning the pages of the journal through her computer. If preternatural phenomenon was present on such a scale then her team needed to know what was going on. What if they mistook a demon for a meta? Even Clark was susceptible to magic.

Her phone began to ring once she was an eighth of the way through. The number was an unknown cell number. "Hello?"

"Did you read it?"

She didn't need to ask who it was. That rough, deep voice was permanently etched into her mind, and just the sound of it caused her stomach to flip.

"Does it matter if I did?"

"Maybe."

"It looked important, I didn't want to leave it there at the motel. I just called you so I can find out where to leave it for you. Or do you want it sent in the mail?"

"I'll pick it up. Are you anywhere near the motel?"

"No. I'm in Metropolis now."

"I'm about three hours away."

"Okay. Do you know the city?"

"I've been there a few times."

"There's a coffee shop near the Daily Planet building. It's called the Metro Coffee Stop. Do you know it?"

"Yeah. It's a nice public area." His voice was practically dripping with sarcasm.

Chloe smiled. "I think if you were going to wield an axe to kill me you would have had plenty of opportunities last night. It's the closest coffee shop to me and I am badly in need of a fix. I'm multi-tasking."

"I'll be there in three hours." He said before hanging up.

"What a charmer." She smiled looking at her phone.

Dean was obviously worried that she had read the contents and was unsure about what she would do with that information. He thought she was picking a public place because the journal scared her, but to be honest she preferred people around as the memories of last night continued to make her heart beat faster. Despite the train wreck that was her personal life, this guy had a physical effect on her and it scared her.

She definitely had a thing for heroes, and it seemed as if even her subconscious was in on it. Her random choice for a one night stand had turned out to be a man who saved people from things that went bump in the night.

Three hours would give her plenty of time to scan the rest of the journal and start her fact checking.

* * *

Despite her joking with Dean, Chloe didn't entirely trust anyone, let along a man she met less than twenty four hours ago. An hour before she was due to meet him she asked Bart to scout the area and hang around to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. She had given Bart photos of Sam and Dean that she had found through her research.

He had given her his word that this would be kept between the two of them and that he wouldn't ask too many questions. Chloe knew that if she had had any sense she would have fallen for Bart instead of Oliver. He was loyal and a friend who would be there for her as quick as a flash just because she needed him.

She was sat at outside the coffee shop half an hour before she needed to be drinking her latte and reading the newspaper when she heard Bart in her ear. "There's a Chevy Impala that's driven by you at least three times in the past ten minutes. The goons inside match your pictures. They've parked up about two blocks from here."

"Are they moving?" Chloe spoke softly before sipping her drink.

"Gigantor seems to be scoping out the coffee shop."

Chloe smirked at the description of the younger brother. "Has he seen you?"

Bart laughed. "Please, who do you think you're talking to 'licious?"

"Okay. I'm going silent now. Just hang back and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If either of them make a wrong move just get me out of here."

"Will do beautiful."

Chloe put her hand to her ear and switched off the communicator. The last thing she needed was for Bart to hear any details of the previous night. She continued to focus on her coffee knowing that she would soon have company.

Again, she felt his presence before she even heard him. A clearing of his throat was his indication that he had arrived. "Hi."

"Hello." She smiled before opening her bag and removing the journal. She placed it on the table and slid it towards him. "I believe you're looking for this."

She was surprised that he took the seat opposite her before placing the journal in his jacket. Chloe raised her eyebrow at him. She had expected him to just take the journal and go.

He leant back in his chair, hands folded across his stomach. "So you read it."

"Yes, I did."

"No offence, but why aren't you running, screaming to the hills, calling the local nut house to cart me off?"

"Please, the things described in that journal only expands on the weird things I've seen in my life." She smirked, setting her coffee down.

"It didn't freak you out _at all_?" Chloe just shrugged. Dean leant forward and looked her directly in the eyes. "You're telling me you read the contents of _that _journal and you were still willing to meet with me?"

"Don't confuse curiosity with naivety Dean Winchester." She hoped the use of his full name would get his attention. "I am not without protection. If either you or your brother reach for your nicely concealed weapons I will be out of your sight before you can even blink."

He stiffened noticeably, all illusions of friendliness dropped. "Okay sweetheart, who are you really? Cop? FBI?"

Chloe softly laughed to herself. "I'm not a cop. If I wasn't so good at what I do, there's a chance my criminal record would be longer than yours. In truth I just happen to help those in a similar line of work."

"You expect me to believe this bullcrap? It was just a happy coincidence that I met you in that bar and you just happened to find that journal?"

"It doesn't matter what you believe. Maybe you just have as much bad luck as I do when it comes to the opposite sex." She stood up and adjusted her bag before hooking it over her shoulder. "Goodbye and good luck Dean. It was nice to meet you."

The smirk that she recognised from the night before appeared across his face. She knew it had more to do with sex than with humour. "I would have said you found it more than nice."

Chloe wished she didn't blush so easily. "And that is my cue to leave. Just promise me one thing - be careful where you leave that thing. Next time you might not be so lucky."

Without waiting for a response she turned and walked away. She was safe in the knowledge that Bart had her back in case she was followed. As she crossed the road she activated her earpiece.

"Keep walking 'licious. Gigantor is about thirty feet behind you."

"I'm heading into the bookstore coming up on my left. If you could meet me there and give me a ride home I'll buy you a burrito."

"Awesome."

* * *

Sam sat down opposite his brother at the coffee shop. "I lost her. She went into the bookstore and just seemed to vanish into thin air."

"Just vanished?"

"Yeah. So what did she want?"

"Nothin'." Dean shook his head as if he couldn't quite believe it himself. "But she knew about you, that we were armed and she knew my last name. My _real_ last name. I never told her and it sure as hell ain't in dad's journal."

"Who do you think she is?"

"No idea. She said she worked with people in a 'similar line of work'. All I know is that she's no hunter."

"Looks are deceiving. Take Jo for example, she can convincingly play sweet and innocent when she needs to."

"I've seen that chick naked Sammy." Dean smiled at the memory "She would have more scars if she hunted."

"You think we should check her out?" Sam asked.

"Can't hurt."

They got up to leave ready to head to the cheapest hotel they could find. The Winchester brothers were about to conduct their own investigation.

* * *

Chloe had given herself an early night. It was two in the morning and she had decided to monitor the team remotely from home for the rest of the night, her trusty laptop would be set up by her bed in case of emergencies. Lois was off on assignment in Washington so she wouldn't have to worry about her cousin asking uncomfortable questions and she was just looking forward to snuggling down in her cosy pyjamas and eating reheated pizza. She flicked on the light as she entered the apartment and put her keys back in her bag.

"Night owl, huh?"

Chloe spun in the direction of her bed to find Dean Winchester laying on it with his hands behind his head and his legs crossed at the ankles. She drew her handgun out of her bag by reflex and had it pointing straight at him.

"Hold on there sweetheart, there's no need for that." He held his hands up in front of him and gently started to scoot off the bed.

"What are you doing here?"

He picked up a stack of papers he left on the edge of her bed and placed them on the kitchen counter, Chloe following him with the gun as he moved. "Chloe Ann Sullivan. Born 1987 in Metropolis to a Moira and Gabe Sullivan. You moved to this hick town Smallville in the eighth grade. Freshman year of high school you became editor of the school paper, writing some real weird shit. Want me to continue?"

"You seem to be enjoying your monologue, who am I to interrupt?"

Dean looked straight at her. "You weren't kidding about being around weird most of your life were you?" Chloe didn't respond.

"So what was the most exciting - testifying at a murder trail or coming back from the dead?" He flicked through the papers until he found what he was looking for. "That wall of weird looked kinda fun. Personally, I'd go with running around with a serial killer." He pulled out the online Daily Planet article about Davis Bloom.

She felt her stomach twist upon seeing the picture of the handsome killer staring straight at her from the piece of paper. She felt the lump in her throat growing larger. "I was trying to protect people."

"How did that work out for you? He died shortly after that didn't he?"

"Your research skills are obviously lacking, Winchester. My husband died protecting me from Davis Bloom. Like I said before, my history with the opposite sex sucks." She steadied her gun hand with her other, her arms were beginning to ache from holding the position for so long. She kept her back to the door in case she needed to make a run for it.

"You can put the gun down now Chloe. I'm not here to hurt you." He leant against the countertop and crossed his arms at his chest.

She lowered the gun slightly. "Then what was the point of this little exercise? Scare the girl who kindly returned your property? Be careful not to leave anything here now, because this time I'll burn it."

"I wanted to see if you were on the level. In my line of work you can't trust many people."

She could relate to that. She lowered her gun arm but she still wasn't quite ready to give the weapon up yet. "So what do you want?"

"You said you worked with people like me. The world's getting more hairy by the day, don't hurt to have more allies."

Keeping hold of the gun made her look ridiculous. If he was there to hurt her he would have done so by now. She tucked the gun into the back of her trousers. "Coffee?"

"Sure."

"So how much did you find out about me and my brother?" He asked as she took off her jacket before grabbing two mugs and turning on her coffee maker.

"I know enough to wish I knew you back in high school."

"Not sure glowing rocks are my specialty sweetheart."

She was impressed, most people dismissed the meteor rock theories at first glance. "I was thinking more about spectral related phenomena. Could really have done with some help with those. Possessions suck."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "You're one weird chick, you know that right?"

"Normal is overrated." She poured the coffee. "Cream and sugar?"

"Black's fine." She handed him his drink. She felt a jolt of electricity as her fingers accidentally brushed his. She quickly went back to her own drink, adding far too much sugar.

"I got a question for you." He said as she took a seat next to him.

"Alright."

"I've read up on you, seen the kind of life you've got here. How the hell did you end up at that bar last night? It doesn't fit."

"I needed a drink." She answered simply before sipping her coffee.

"You live within driving distance of a large city but you chose a run down bar on the side of a road to nowhere. Doesn't make a whole lotta sense."

"I needed to get away. From here, from the city. So I did."

He put his coffee cup down. "If you hadn't found that journal, you weren't going to call were you?"

"No, I wouldn't have." She shook her head. "As much fun as it was, men are a complication I just don't need right now. Even if they are attractive strangers with a hero complex."

Dean gave her his trademark smile before leaning in closer to her. "Still finding me attractive?"

She tried to ignore his flirtatious advances. "You know, I'm probably going to kick myself for doing this later, but if you guys ever need anything I'm willing to help. There's only so much research you can do on the road and I have access to resources you don't."

"No offence but how could you help sat in Metropolis on the end of a phone? Cos you sure as hell ain't coming with us."

She smiled at him. "I've already proven that I'm a better researcher than you. Or do you need me to dig out pictures of your dad's high school prom? Because I could do that you know."

He let out a small laugh at that. "That would be worth seeing."

"Besides, it's kinda my job. You could describe what I do as freelance hero technical support."

"A sidekick?"

Her heart clenched at the description. Dean wasn't to know that was Oliver's nickname for her, but it still stirred feelings she needed to ignore. "Yeah. Sidekick." She said softly.

"So one of these heroes the reason you skipped town?"

"All of these personal questions are going to have me thinking the tough guy act is all bravado."

"No. I just want to be sure that if I try to kiss you then I'm not going to end up with an alien shooting fire at my ass!"

Chloe really did laugh. The image of Clark chasing down Dean with his heat vision because she was kissed was priceless. She was lucky if Clark even knew she was around anymore except for when he needed her help.

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to keep it our secret. Because if a kiss gets you laser burn, I'd hate to think what -"

Dean leant forward and gently but firmly kissed Chloe. She froze for a second, totally taken by surprise. She really thought he had been kidding despite the flirtatious smile.

She melted into his kiss while the voice in the back of her head screamed at her that she knew better than this. A drunken one night stand on the back of a shock was completely different to making out in the middle of her kitchen stone cold sober.

Dean slipped off his chair to stand in front of Chloe, managing not to break the kiss. She opened her legs to accommodate him, pulling him closer to her by pulling on his jacket's collar. His hands found their way under the back of her shirt and she shivered as this fingers ran their way across her soft skin. In that moment she knew that if he carried things on further she wouldn't be able to refuse. What was it about this man that made her give in so easily?

His lips drifted from hers and began to tease their way to her neck. She automatically tilted her head to give him better access, letting out a whimper when he lightly bit over her pulse before soothing the small sting with his tongue.

"I…really…shouldn't be doing this." She said on a sigh. His hands were drifting to the buttons of her blouse, slowly undoing them one by one, parting the material as he went.

"Why not?" He mumbled against her throat.

'_Why not?' _She realised that she felt as if she was betraying Oliver, that she was cheating. But she wasn't. Their relationship was over the minute Oliver turned his back on their relationship. What was wrong with being with a man that wanted her, even if it was just for a night?

"Okay, you've convinced me." She said before pushing off his jacket. He let out a small chuckle before picking her up by the waist and putting her on the counter top so he no longer had to bend to get to her. Finishing with her buttons he pulled her blouse from her arms.

Putting her hands on either side of his face she kissed him deeply before he broke away. He began to work on the zipper of her jeans when Chloe almost jumped from the counter at the vibrating sensation in her pocket.

"Damn it!" She pulled the phone from her pocket. It was an SOS message from Oliver. He and Victor were at Watchtower and needed her to join them ASAP. Bart was on his way to collect her. "I've really got to go."

Dean shook his head. "What are the odds on this happening twice in two days?"

Chloe hopped down from the counter and retrieved her shirt from the floor. "I'm so sorry about this." She began to rapidly dress.

"No chance we can pick this up later tonight?" Dean asked as he kissed her neck while she finished doing up her buttons.

She tried to hold back the moan threatening to escape her lips. "I really wish I could say yes, but I have a feeling I'm going to be working through the night." She reluctantly stepped away and picked up her jacket and coat. Bart would be arriving any second. "I'm sure you understand."

He sighed, clearly frustrated. "If anyone gets it I do."

She really wished she could just tell the guys to call her in the morning so she could just take this man to bed. "Just remember what I said, if you need my help just call. As you can see, I'm on call twenty four hours a day." She picked up her bag and paused at the door. "And before you leave, just make sure you have everything with you. My roommate is a journalist."

Smiling, she closed the door and ran down the staircase of the Talon. As she got to the bottom she saw Bart waiting outside for her. He waved her over, obviously in a hurry.

Back in Chloe's apartment Dean picked up his jacket and put it on. It was a shame he and Sam were moving on from Metropolis tomorrow. This fiery blonde had something about her - he didn't know what it was, but he really wanted to find out. Next time they were between jobs he was certain he would be giving her a call.


End file.
